Eyed for platoon role Vierling appears likely to occupy the short side of a platoon in center field this season with Odubel Herrera, whom the Phillies signed to a one-year, $1.75 million deal Monday, Ma... Impact After Herrera became a free agent in November before the MLB lockout went into effect, Vierling found himself atop the depth chart when spring training commenced. However, given that Vierling has only 77 MLB plate appearances under his belt and wasn't a high-level producer for most of his minor-league career, he never appeared to be a strong bet to break camp in an everyday role. That being said, the Phillies are high on Vierling's potential, and he's being exposed to first base along with the outfield this spring as the team looks to find additional avenues for him to pick up at-bats. In his brief sample of MLB action in 2021, Vierling struck the ball hard (53.8 HardHit%) to prop up both his BABIP (.420) and batting average (.324), but he'll need to get more loft under his swing to generate the power he needs to profile as an everyday outfielder.
MARCH 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE
